Federal Trade Commission

Two years ago the Federal Trade Commission served notice to five car dealers over what it considered breaches of the Truth in Lending Act regulations. One of the issues was that certain dealer ads promised to pay off the loan on a buyer's trade-in, regardless of the amount; customers thought they were getting completely out of a loan, but the dealerships would add the negative equity from the old loan into the purchase price of the new car. Another issue for the FTC was that the ads didn't clear

Two years ago the Federal Trade Commission served notice to five car dealers over what it considered breaches of the Truth in Lending Act regulations. One of the issues was that certain dealer ads promised to pay off the loan on a buyer's trade-in, regardless of the amount; customers thought they were getting completely out of a loan, but the dealerships would add the negative equity from the old loan into the purchase price of the new car. Another issue for the FTC was that the ads didn't clear

In advertisements that help sell thousands of used cars, CarMax says it pays "rigorous" attention to safety details and checks the road-readiness of each car with a meticulous 125-point inspection prior to sale. There's one big item missing on that checklist, say numerous consumer groups.

Google Street View is looking for gas leaks. Natural gas leaks are not only extremely dangerous, they're a terrible waste of resources and, as a greenhouse gas, a threat to the environment. Unfortunately, with the decaying infrastructure in many of America's older cities, they're pretty common, too. That's why Google is teaming up with the Environmental Defense Fund to map gas leaks. With sensors attached to the Street View cars, they are sniffing out methane leaks and documenting them. So far,

Earlier, we mentioned the Renewable Fuels Association's report that most major oil companies are blocking the ethanol blends E15 and E85 from their gas stations. According to the RFA, "Distribution contracts routinely include provisions that make it difficult, needlessly expensive, or simply impossible for a retailer to offer consumers choices like E15 or E85." The report has the attention of two senators who want the Federal Trade Commission to look into the matter of Big Oil engaging in anti-c

Safety groups and a prominent politician are taking aim at CarMax, the country's largest used car chain, over allegedly deceptive advertising, and they're hoping to prompt a major shift in the way that pre-owned vehicles are sold in the US, as well. In two letters filed with the Federal Trade Commission this week, a coalition of consumer groups and Senator Charles Schumer (D-NY) urge the regulator to investigate CarMax and force all used car dealers to fix any pending recalls on a model before i

On the subject of Tesla Motors and its efforts to legally sell its electric vehicles directly to consumers without franchised dealerships, the FTC has taken aim at Missouri and New Jersey. The Commission hasn't made any nationwide decision on the subject quite yet, but in a May 16 statement it encouraged the two states to reconsider policies that would further prohibit automakers from selling directly to consumers. And the FTC didn't mince words, calling such laws an example of "protection that

A couple years ago, Nissan created a series of commercials for its compact Frontier pickup showing the truck performing outlandish stunts such as snowboarding, saving a passenger airplane from a crash landing and climbing a steep sand dune to help a stranded dune buggy. As crazy as the first two commercials were, the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) took issue with the latter, titled Hill Climb, with the agency considering it to be a misleading commercial since both vehicles required a cable to re

Car rental giant Hertz is in the process of purchasing Dollar Thrifty. The deal is said to be for $2.3 billion, according to an Associated Press report. As a result, Dollar Thrifty stock increased by seven percent in trading before the market opened today.

If you have a phone, you've probably been offered a (last, final, only, etc.) chance to extend your car's warranty. Hopefully you realized an anonymous caller from an unknown number had no idea what kind of car you drive much less when your warranty expired and promptly ended the call.

In general, car dealers have reputations just below personal injury lawyers and politicians, so it's no surprise that most consumers are naturally wary whenever they engage in the process of buying a new vehicle.

The sales pitch goes something like this on the showroom floor: A car salesman makes an enticing promise. "We'll pay off your car loan, no mater how much you owe!" Or "upside down on your current loan? We'll pay off your trade."

Ford and Chrysler have come under fire from the Made in the USA Foundation over certain advertisements. The foundation has filed complaints with the Federal Trade Commission for misleading ads, claiming that both automakers have advertised vehicles as made in America that were actually imported from foreign countries.

In 2010, the Federal Trade Commission received 1,339,265 complaints. According to the National Automobile Dealer's Association, less than one percent of those complaints were related to new or used auto sales. That relatively low number (compared to the 250,854 people who complained of identity theft) has NADA upset over the government's decision to pursue the creation of an automotive lending consumer advocacy agency.

The Federal Trade Commission will hold a series of roundtable discussions about car dealers' business practices next month. The talks will be held across the country in an effort by the FTC to get a feel for how car dealers are conducting themselves and whether their practices are fair to the consumer.

Be skeptical! Out of 93 fuel saving devices or additives were recently tested in Ann Arbor, Michigan, by the EPA, and out of those, just 10 were found to increase fuel mileage, and then only slightly. Unfortunately, 4 of those 10 also increased emissions. The results of the report are that none of the tested products met with approval from the EPA. The moral of the story is that these days, manufacturers have probably done what they can to make your mileage as high as it can be while delivering

As if the Nigerian fund wiring scheme wasn't bad enough, DaimlerChrysler is now finding themselves involved in a similar snail-mail scam. DCX's financial services unit has been working its butt off to warn people to steer clear of a mail scam that seems to be using the company's good name to dupe would-be thousandaires.